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I know I am not the only person who believes the Tempest is the best prop on a cat. Lets here some other opinions, and if I am the only one then I will back off of this. This about the third time I have had comments from some of the “staff” about this issue, now I want to here from some fisherman.
I rarely run WOT and like the Trophy for midrange performance below 5K RPMS.
I agree with that.
Ive got a trophy plus 25P and a tempest 25P for my 225 Opti on my FTD. I pretty much run loaded, and over all I like the consistancy of performance with the Tempest better. I run 4-5 second holeshots with two bubbas and full tanks with the Tempest. Thats leveling out, not 30MPH like BWB measures theirs. With livewells full it drops to 9. With the Trophy its the same before I fill the wells, but much worse after they are filled. I think top end is better with the tempest as well, but thats hard to judge because I run on a river system in the desert and conditions vary all the time. Since I have to dodge sandbars all the time this one makes a difference too. I can run the Temepst higher. Much higher. I discovered the Trophy runs best sunk way down deep and trimmed to max. (I even considered trim extenders for running the trophy) The Tempest will run nicely shallower, and near max trim I have more flexibility where it seems to be in the sweet spot. –Bob La Londe Forums, Free Lures, Product Reviewswww.YumaBassMan.com CNC Molds N Stuffwww.CNCMOLDS.com
BigDog -As stated on the other post for the 06 Puma I ran a Trophy and it had a Yamaha on it and it was the prop of choice for me. The 07 Puma had a 250ProXS and the Tempest was the choice for me.Each boat I get I play with props and I am of the opinion that very few are the same. Not only props and characteristics but the boat and performance. I know from one engine to the next can be different just like the props and while it is harder to tell it wouldnt surprise me if the boats werent exactly the same weight each time either, I am sure they are close as BCB can get them but there probably are differences.While you and I like Tempests on our rigs if we had someone elses identical to ours rigs we might prefer the Trophy. You just have to play with set up and see what your boat/motor combo likes.In other words I am saying I dont think they are hard and fast rules on all this. It wouldnt surprise me if I dont end up with a Trohpy on my next one…you just never know until you try them.Good luck, I will post a little blurb on the other post in regards to those comments.Judd Lasiter
I think it depends on the hull because a few years ago the Tempest was “THE” prop everyone had to have. They seem to be real popular with the older PIIs, Sabre and PIII owners. It seems most PIV and Cougar owners like the Trophy, maybe because of the heavier front deck. So all I can say is try them both in both winter and summer and then run what you like.Deke[font="]Deke[/font]
There are multiple issues.1. trophy has 4 blades and thus more blade area. Blade area helps to control slip and cavitation.2. Tempest is a larger diameter, but has only 3 blades. Less blade area means less drag, but larger diameter is harder to turn.The hub is run near the surface of the water. So one or two blades is/are always out of the water. The trophy keeps more in the water since it has more blades in the first place. That makes it hold better, blowout less, track better, handle rough water better, etc. The tempest will spend a lot of time with just one blade in the water. If it ventilates due to rough water, you know it. The tempest is more efficient. The best prop is a 1-blader, but the side-loads are so severe nobody uses one. 2 blades are almost as bad as at one instant when they are horizontal, they are out of the water. So the 3-4 blade props rule.Ive seen boats that run faster with a tempest. I have seen other boats where we spent two days on the water and it ran better with the trophy. Including faster top end although this is not that common. Someone mentioned the tempest can be run higher via the jack plate. Thats because of the increased diameter, mainly. And 3 blades gives the prop guys more room to work their magic, where a 4-blade prop starts to get overlap between the blades which reduces efficiency.The bottom line? try em both. You never know. Ideally we would do them just like we do the jack plate. Vary the pitch and diameter and number of blades to find the optimal prop. But that would be a ton of testing with three variables to change.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
Science is great…if you understand it; and I think that is THE BEST concise explanation of the science of the why behind props that I have ever seen. Thanks OT!Too bad setup is more an art than a science. Deke[font="]Deke[/font]
It is nice to see OT57 add to this thread with some good relative explanations.Nice Job OT57~!We have run all of these combinations, and have tried more varieties of wheels than any of you will ever even consider. The results we suggest are based on our findings over many of the same or similar combinations. We find no overall consistent winner. Though we will say that the new 2008 hull for the 20s is going to like a Trophy better with a Merc. And it likes a Tempest with a BRP 225 HO. It all depends.BCB
I have a new to me 96 Eyra/175 combo that came with a 3 blade. Got a chance to talk with some people at BCB(Rick ), and the hull version I have seems to run better with a 3 blade. I asked about a trophy and the general answer was better performance, on this hull, with a 3 blade. Dropped to a 24 Tempest, and now hitting 5900 rpms and 70+ with 2/3 tank, gear, me(275+) and son(140).My previous boat a 97 PII, I ran a 26 trophy, with a 25 tempest as backup.I just want what is best “total performance” setup on the particular boat I am driving.96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
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